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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

I watched it a few weeks ago as well. I had just signed up for Netflix and it caught my eye.

Interestingly enough, an old classmate of mine from grad school is one of the featured players in the movie. His name is Henri Delbeau.

What's even more interesting is that I had no idea he played the piano (until I randomly saw him in this movie) and he mentions that when he was in school, he didn't get around to playing much.

It's funny because he is just so low key about his playing throughout the movie. I think at one point before he went on to play, he said something like..."it's okay if I don't do well, I have a day job."

Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 20004
Loc: New York

Originally Posted By: Sam S

Only 2 more months until the 2011 Cliburn Amateur competition: website. The website says nothing about broadcasting any of it though. I wonder if any PW members will be there?

Well I'm sure some of us are trying! In fact, I know from personal experience that at least one of us is.

(You have to apply for admission, and it's never sure.)

Originally Posted By: Pedies

....Interestingly enough, an old classmate of mine from grad school is one of the featured players in the movie. His name is Henri Delbeau.

What's even more interesting is that I had no idea he played the piano (until I randomly saw him in this movie) and he mentions that when he was in school, he didn't get around to playing much.

It's funny because he is just so low key about his playing throughout the movie. I think at one point before he went on to play, he said something like..."it's okay if I don't do well, I have a day job."....

Cool that you knew him!He has become a good friend of mine through these competitions, and I'm shown talking with him a couple of times in the film.

BTW he has won 1st prize in several of the events.

_________________________
"Everything I say is my opinion, including the facts." :-)

I also watched note by note. They gave it away at the local Steinway gallery if you were willing to come in and look at the pianos a while back (they openend near me about 2 years ago so this was some kind of promotion).

I was less than impressed with that documentary. I truly enjoyed the parts where the Steinway artists played the instruments, but the making of the instrument was less than glamorous. Now, I don't expect the construction process to be galmorous, but they made the construction process seem like a very menial task which to me was kind of a dissapointment (of course, they are just showing us reality, but there are ways to place a spin on that and it seemed like their spin was that it was a simple, time consuming process with many very basic steps). It's just my opinion, but I was really looking foreward to that video and when I saw it, I was a bit let down.

I am the producer of the film, and it's wonderful to see the positive comments. In case you missed the blurb in the PW newsletter, we are offering a private discount to Piano World members who actually would like to own the film, or buy more than one copy as gifts...http://theycametoplay.com/specialOffer.html

We are also interested in arranging small screenings/screening parties with anyone who would like to host, and can be reached at fromlorikm@gmail.com

I enjoyed "They Came To Play" on Netflix, and took advantage of the offer for the DVD. It also includes "extended performances" as bonus tracks. Work has been busy, so I haven't watched them yet but will this weekend.

Thanks for an excellent film and the discount!

_________________________
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."Groucho Marx

Thanks for making the film. I really enjoyed it. The people that were featured were very interesting.

I actually reconnected with Henri Delbeau who I knew from med school through Facebook because of this movie. I didn't even know Henri played piano. The last time I had seen him (14 years ago), he was coming back from a Central Park bike ride to the dorm. Who knew he'd be a movie star?

One of the finalists (Clark Grifith) is heard on the video playing a couple of Bach pieces - if you watch closely you see that he arranged them himself. They are from the Partita #3 for solo violin, and pdf files of the music are available from his web page.

Looks like the Gavotte and Rondeau is the easier of the two - the Fugue (3 voices?) looks pretty hairy...

I finally was able to start watching this tonight. (watched the first half)

I was bummed because I don't have a Netflix account and didn't think I'd ever see it. But with the Cliburn Amateur going on right now, I *had* to see it!

Dummy me didn't realize the local library had it until today.

Anyway, very entertaining so far. My wife is even watching it with me (that's a good sign!)

I know I'll never be good enough to be a contestant, but man, it would be fun to be wandering around with a camera interviewing and filming participants behind the scenes pretending I was making a documentary about this! The whole event sounds like a lot of fun (and stress, but good stress)

I had the same experience. I happened to find it on Netflix. My wife actually watched it with me.....I even managed to get my daughters to watch some (but not all) of it......do teenagers develop A.D.D.?!

I had hoped to be able to travel to Ft Worth to attend the competition, but my schedule did not permit this time.

If some of you have Netflix, did you know that there is a device called Roku (costs about $100) that allows you to stream the "instant watch" movies right to your TV? It's easy to hook up, and there are about 7,000 movies available from Netflix, including "They Came to Play," "Impromptu," "The Chronicles of Anna Magdelena," "In Search of Beethoven," and many more classical selections that you might never see anywhere else.

If some of you have newer TVs, you don't have to buy the Roku device, for your TV probably has the necessary connections. And, if you are not interested in getting DVD's from Netflix, you can just sign up for the "Instant Movies," option for $7.99 a month. (No, I am not a spokesperson for Netflix.)

I don't watch TV at all. I bought Roku and subscribe to Netflix for my husband. It's really worth the money.

Kathleen

_________________________
After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own." Oscar Wilde, 1891

Mark_C
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Registered: 11/11/09
Posts: 20004
Loc: New York

Originally Posted By: BenPiano

.....but man, it would be fun to be wandering around with a camera interviewing and filming participants behind the scenes pretending I was making a documentary about this!....

I wish you had!

I think a lot of us loved the filming so much that we wished the crew did such a documentary on every amateur Cliburn competition! But of course, that's not what filmmakers want to do, unless the first film was such a huge hit that they can't say no about a sequel; they want to go on to other challenges.

Anyway, Ben, please feel free to get your camera ready for '015!

_________________________
"Everything I say is my opinion, including the facts." :-)

I am fortunate to have been able to borrow a copy of "They Came To Play" from our public library. What an amazing group of people from such diverse backgrounds, professions and upbringings; all playing piano for pleasure. And playing like Pros

It is also very refreshing to hear and see people on camera "being themselves", totally honest and vulnerable - some of the stories and life journeys are heartbreaking. And the more fortunate ones don't go around bragging about anything. Of course, its a movie, so there has to be some drama and those interviewed were undoubtedly the "better ones for the camera"; so we don't get to see the "ordinary" people in an otherwise extra-ordinary circumstance.

It must have been a tough call for the judges though, all the finalists were excellent musicians.

I loved it!

One contestant I fell in love with, Esfir Ross... vibrant, funny and such charm and character